Shock absorber



' M. D. DOMINGUEZ' SHOCK ABSORBER Filed Dec. 1-5, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w. a &

A INVENTOR MANUEL 0. DOM/IVGl/EZ Feb, 16 1926.

M. D. DOMINGU EZ SHOCK ABS ORBER Filed Dec. 5, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet B ATrbRNEY y Patented Feb. 16, 1926..

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' 335K003: ABB'QRIBER.

Application filed December 5, was. ficilal No. 75-5 182.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known-that- I, Mnnunn D. DOMIN- owns, a citizen of Spain, and resident of New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, haveinvcnted certain new and useful Improvements in Shock Ahsorbers, of which the following is a specification.

-My invention relatesto appliances for modifying or controlling the action of the supporting springs of vehicles, usually called shock absorbers.

The general object is to provide a reasonably simple and inexpensive appliance of the hydraulic type which will properly retard or control the movement ot the vehicle axle in relation to the body or chassis frame.

A more particular object is to provide means for checking one movement which may be the recoil movement, more than the other or vehicle spring compression movement, although, of course, the appliance may be arranged to oppose the greatest resistance to axle movement in either direction.

Another important object to provide a reserve reservoir or storage supply of the checking liquid, so-arranged that any loss of the liquid from the main resistance chamber or passages is automatically and immediately replaced from the storage reservoir.

Another object to provide a construction which avoids necessity for the use of compressible or resilient paclting around the moving parts.

A further object is to provide for easy adjustment ofparts which control or regulate the liquid flOl'V;

T he characteristics and advantages of the invention are further suiiiciently explained in connection with the following detail description of the accompanying drawing, which shows one exemplifying embodiment of theinvcntion. After considering this embodiment, persons skilled in the art will understand that many 'ariations may he made Within the principles of the invention, and I contemplate the employment of any structures that are properly Within the scopeof the appended claims.

Fig. l is a side elevation oi an appliance,"

embodying the invention in one form.

Fig. 2 is an elevation from the right of Fig. 1. I

Fig. 3 is a section at 33, Fig. 1.

Fig. l is a section at ll, Fig. 3.

The casing 1 of generally cylindrical form has its back or base provided with ears 2 in which are holes or eyes 3 through which bolts may be passed to secure the back Wall or base to a suitable vehicle part, such as a chassis frame member. In some cases the casing may be provided with an arm which has pivoted or other articulated connection to a vehicle part, in accordance with known shock absorber arrangements, but usually it is preferred to secure the casing rigidly to a part of the body such as the chassis frame member.

lVithin. the casing is a cylindrical chamher 5, divided into two parts 6 and 7 by a piston 8 when the piston is in any intermediate position. A reserve or storage chamber 9 is divided from the main chamher 5 by a wall 10. At one side, usually the top of the casing, is an extension 11 to con-' tam the valves and valve passages. This extension is preferably integral with the casing, although 11! some cases it may be separate and suitably connected.

The piston 8 is carried b a rigidly connected or integral rod 12 W ich is centrally boredor shaped to have a close sliding fit on a guide rod 13, which assists in centering the piston and its rod and more particularly, prevents rotation of the piston and piston rod. F or this purpose the guide rod or bar 13 has a splined connection with the piston rod bore or preferably, as shown, the guide bar is of polygonal crosssection and the-bore in the piston rod is'of similar form, so that the piston and red are prevented from rotating as they move longitudinally on the guide bar. This bar 13 may be integral with wall as shown. Otherwise it may be separate and suitably connected. The guide bar is long enough to properly supportand guide the piston in all of its positions. .Its free end may extend about to the outer limit of the cylinder The outer or open end of the cylinder is closed by a cover or screw cap 15 and to insure hydraulic tightness of thecylinder the screw threads may be of tapered form or a suitable gasket 16 may be provided, or both. The cover 15 has a, cylindrical or sleeve-like extension 17.

The outer surface, of the piston rod 12 is provided with one or more screw threads 18 ivhich are usually of a fairly steep pitch form to insure easy running under substan tial pressure. Located on the piston rod is a sleeve-like nut preferably having a closed outer end 21. lhebore of this hot is screw threaded to mate with threads 18.

Near its inward end the nut hasa flange 22 v of tapered or pyramidal cross-section with a Eli - when the valve opens.

' plug flattened crest 23, fitting a cylindrical bore 24 in cover extension 17. At the inward end, of this bore is an inwardly projecting flange 25 having a conical outer face to cooperate with one ofthe tapered or conical.

faces offlange 22. Within the bore out-' wardly of flange 22 is a bushing 26, referably of suitable metal, such as hard bronze, the inner face of which is of conical form to fit the outward face of flange 22.

bushing is urged in with. suitable pressure for the proper contact of flange 22 with it and ange 25 by a nut 28 screwed into the outer end of bore 24. By turning up the nut at long intervals, any play due to wear may be eliminated. The v lve extension 11 includes valve chambers 30 and 31 connected tolthe outward pressure chamber 7 by assages'32 and '33, and by a passage 34 to t e inward pressure chamber 6Q A port 35 connects chan1- ber 30 with passage 3% and a port 36 connects chamber 31 with passage 34. The inward ends of the ports 35 and 36 are formed into conical valve seats 37 and 38 respectively. A. screw plug 40 closes the outward end of chamber 30 and a similar 41 closes the outward end of chamber 31. A- screw threaded valve stem 42 passes through the threaded bore of plug 40 and has at its inward and a cohical plug or neefie valve 43 co-operating with seat 37, although this valve will not be closed down tight on the seat. ()n the outer end of the valve stem is a nut-shaped head 44: which may also have a screw slot 45 to provide for adjustment by a wrench or screw driver. A conical. plug or; needle valve ltl is nor- -mally held against seat 38 by a spring 47 compressed. between the valve a the inward end of plug 41. The valve isguided in the cylindrical chamber 31 by valve guides 48 which permit passage of liquid A. screw 50 passes through a threaded hole in plug {ll and the inner end of the screw co-operates with a stud 51 on the valve to liniit the valve opeuing movement. Screw 50 has a nut shaped and slotted head 52 for adjustment purposes.

A port 60 connects storage reservoir 9 near its bottom with chamber 6, and this port is normally closed by any suitable check, valve, sulficiently represented by a valve disc 61 of compressible material carried by a flat spring 62, these parts being located in a pocket. in wall 10.

-At the top of the extension 11 an aperture 65 communicates with valve chamber 30 and the aperture is closed by a re-.

movable screw plug 66. An aperture 67 is also provided communicating with storage chamber 9 and this aperture is closed by a removable screw plug 68. v u 1 Any; suitable lever,such as 70,-is con nected to the nut 20. Dcsirably, this lower has a split hub 71 with cxtensions72 ooo1)crating witha bolt 73 andnut 74: to

clamp the lever to the nut in any suitable angular position. When necessary or desirable, a key 75 may also be provided to positively lock the lever to the nut. 'At its free i 2 end the lever has any suitable device such-as an eye'76 for the attachment of any known or suitable link, the other end of which is connected to the vehicle axle by any knpwn or suitable fitting.

After the appliance is assembled, before or afterit is connected to the'vehi'cle, thetill chambers and passages are filled with a; suitable checking liquid such as glycerin or p 7 heavy oil, by removing thescrew plugs 66 and 68. Thereafter during a long period or service, any loss of the liquid from the main chambers 6 and 7 and their communicating passages, is automatically replenished by liquid' drawn from the storage reservoir 9 fhrough port 60 and past valve 61 whenever low pressure is created in chamber 6 by anovement of the piston 8 to the right, as

viewed in Fig. 3. If any additional replacement of liquid is necessary it may be accomplished merely by refilling the storage I reservoir. v

Nut/20 by the arrangement of adjacent parts above described, has a suitable rotative and thrust bearing within cover extension.17,.and the flange 22 with the co-operating fixed flange 25 andbushing'26, at the.

same time providea sufficient packing ell'ect which dispenses with felt or other compressible packings which are sub'ect to undue wear and also require tightening at unduly frequent intervals. The conical form of these his co-op'erating parts, held together with suit.

able pressure by nut 28, entirely or practically prevents escape of-the checking liquid. As previously indicated, the appliance may be so arranged or placed on the vehicle as greatest resistance to axle.

to oppose the movement in either direction. If the ap'pli as viewed in Fig. '1, is located on the ance,

downward movement left side of a vehicle,

of the axle corresponding to the vehicle.

spring recoil, will move the free endof arm 70 downward, imparting a clockwise movement to nut 20. If the direction of'the arm is reversed, however, by loosening the clamp ing hub 71, the same axle movement will the lac

' seat. I clearance from deemed Ell because move the nut counter-clockwise. These examples sufilciently explain how the desired checking of either vehicle spring compres thrust bearing. Nut rotation causes the pieton to move to the right and the liquid, in chamberfi is forced through passage 33 to valve chamber 31 and through passage 82 to valve chamber 30. Spring 47 and the liquid pressure hold valvc' lfi tight on its Valve s3 is adjusted 'with suitable its seat 37 to provide the resistsncs to the stated axle movement. The checking liquid is forced through the space between the valve and its seutand the resistance provided by this nestricled passage proportionately retards the piston movement and so checks the axle and ve hiclc spring action. The liquid asses through passage 34 to chamber 6. It tiring this movement there is any vacuum in the chambers 6 and *5 due to escae of liquid piston is moved therefrom, the chambers are re lied by flow {com thc'storage chamber. pun movement of arm Y6 in the opposite direction con spending to vehicle spring compression, the oppositely or toward the, left, in Fig.3, The liquid in chambei' 6 then flows through passage "to the portsfiii and 36. -A certain amount of the liquid flows past valve end so back to chamber 7. An additional amount of the liquid }floWs through port 36 Lund by its pressure causes valve 45 to open. The li uid flowing past the. valve returns to c amber 7 through passage 33. Evidently, therefore by the provision of additional flow of in mi f in unit time, less resistance is afiorde to '7 thesaid axle movement than to the movement first described. The total resistance maybe regulated by adjustment of screvg; to regulate the opening of valve 46; The.

resistance also may be varied to a certain extent by changing the pressure effect of spring 47, either by substituting another spring or adjusting the spring by means of the screw plug 41. In the last described axle I110V1T18I1tl3l1 thrust of nut 20 is taken up by the contacting conical flange 22 and bushing 26. The device works with exceptional smoothness and freedom from Wear, since all the moving parts are continually lubricated bythe checking liquid.

The described arrangement of valves and passagesdispenses with any apertures or periphery, this may be compensated for means for moving the piston to and fro, a passage around the t piston between the cylinder ends, an adjustable, normally-fixed valve partly obturating said passage, onother passage around the piston between the cylinder ends, and a check valve in said passage permitting flow (illiquid through the passage in; only one direction;

2. An appliance 01" thepclaes described, compz'ising a cylinder, o piston therein, means for moving valve chambers communicating at opposite ends with opposite ends of the cylinder, an adjustablevalve in one of the chambers normally set to provide a fixed testricted posssge between the cylinder ends, and u check valve in the other chamber yieldably seated to permit flow of liquid between the cylinder ends past the valve in only one direction.

3, An appliance of the clues escribed, comprising a casing enclosing a cylinder, :1 piston therein, means for moving the piston to and fro, a. casing extension, tvvo valve chambers therein, passages connecting both ends of the chambers with ends of the cylinder, each chamber having at one end a conics1 valve seat, a valve stem passing. through one of the chambers and having escrow thread engaging a fixed element in said ex sage, a check valve reciprocebly mounted in the other valve chambezand having acomcal head cooperating with the" valve seat thereof, and a spring urging thc'check valve to closed position.

i d. An appliance of the class described, comprising a casing enclosing a cylinder, :1 piston therein, means for moving the piston to and fl'o, a casing extension, two valve chambers therein, passages connecting both ends of the c'hambcrs with ends of the cylinder, each chamber having at one end a conical valve seat, a valve stem passing through one of the chambers and having a screw-thread engaging a fixed element J11 said extension to provide for adjustment and also having a conical head cooperating with the valve 'seat of its chamber to prothe piston toencl'ztrc, two

7 mountable closure therefor.

valves and valve tension.

prising a casing having acylinder formed therein, a storage reservoir formed in the casing adjacent the cylinder, a valved connection between the cylinder, the casing also having an exten- S1OI1 at one side, a piston in the cylinder, an externally threaded piston rod, a guide bar fixed within the cylinder and engaging within the piston rod and formed to'prevent piston and rod rotation, a nut mounted on the rod and having screw connection therewith, a thrust and rotary bearing for the nut one-casing wall, a-lever arm secured on the outward end of the nut, valves and valve passages in said casing extension, a 'ng opening in said,extension communieating with the storage reservoir, and a de- 15. A shock absorber [for vehicles comprising. a casing having a cylinder formed therein, a storage reservoir formed in the passages 111 said casing ex- 14. A shock absorber for vehicles corn storage reservoir and.

vent piston and rod casing adjacent the cylinder, :1 valved con nection between the storage reservoir and cylinder, thecasing also having an exten- SlOIl at one side, a )iston in the cylinder, an externally threaded fixed within the cylinder and engaging Within the piston rod and formed to prerot-ation, a nut mounted on the rod and having screw connection therewith, a thrust and rotary bearing for the nut in one casing wall, a lever arm secured on the outward end of the nut, valves and valve passages in said casing extension, a filling opening in said extension communicating with t e storage reservoir, a demountable closure therefor, a filling opening in said extension communicating with the valve passages and cylinder, and a demountable closure therefor.

Signed at New Orleans, in the parish of rleans and State of Louisiana this 17th day of November, A. D. 1924.

MANUEL-D. D M'INGUEZ.

piston rod, a guide liar 

